Which scenario describes a child in the prealphabetic phase?

The scenario describes a child in the prealphabetic phase because this stage is characterized by a recognition of print and an ability to respond to it, but without understanding the individual sounds or letters that comprise words. In this phase, children often rely on visual and contextual clues rather than phonemic awareness or letter-sound relationships.

When the child responds "Meow!" to the question about the first sound in "cat," it illustrates that they may recognize the letters and are aware of print concepts, but they are not yet able to analyze or manipulate the phonemes in the word. This behavior exemplifies a reliance on associations or personal experiences instead of a systematic understanding of phonetics or letter sounds, which is a hallmark of the prealphabetic phase.

In contrast, the other scenarios involve skills that indicate a higher level of reading development. For instance, sounding out words and deriving meanings from the context both reflect phonemic awareness and vocabulary knowledge, which are beyond the prealphabetic phase.